This Could Be Fate, But I Know It's Love
by Party Like a Rockstar
Summary: AU totally! Tom Quincy is a high class music producer in New York with his life going perfectly. Then he meets unpredictable Jude Harrison, a high school music teacher with a haunting past, but a bright outlook on life. IF I OWNED IT I WOULDN'T BE HERE WR
1. His Life

A.N. another story I had cooked up in my mind. it's crazy i tell you.

* * *

He wakes up every morning at exactly 7:00. He showers in ten minutes and wears the same nice, expensive dress shirts and slacks. Every morning at exactly 8:00, he enters Starbucks and orders the same tall French Vanilla Latte. At 8:30 exactly he enters his office. His life works like clock work. Nothing new and exciting ever happens. He likes it this way.

The music industry is a tough business, but someone has to make sure that all of the talent that comes through the studio makes it out there to sound good. The point is money. People have to pay. This is what his boss, Darius, tells him.

He used to love music. Too many years of corporate crap have changed that. To him, it's all the same, boring stuff. The public likes the boring stuff, however. To some music brought joy and happiness, to him it brought a monthly paycheck.

He has her picture in his billfold. He likes to think of himself as a closet romantic. Back in the day, he was quite the bachelor, always partying and sleeping around. Until he met her.

Claire Armstrong was the daughter of a successful business tycoon. She came from money, and wasn't shy about it. She had stylish short blonde hair, like most of his girlfriends, and huge gorgeous blue eyes that sparkled like the rings on her fingers. She was smart, and sassy, she herself quite the business woman. She kept him in line. He was whipped from the start. That's why he had no qualms about proposing to her.

They were in every tabloid and magazine in New York. NY's biggest bachelor engaged to Samuel Armstrong's only daughter. It was big news.

Every day at 1:00, Claire would arrive at the office and the couple would go for lunch. Afterwards, both would return to their work, burying themselves until 5:00 when he returned home, to change into more casual clothes. A night out on the town. Claire was making him an honest man.

This was his life.


	2. Her Life

The alarm clock would usually ring for about 20 minutes until she finally turned it off. She'd roll out of bed, her red hair a mess. She'd take a quick shower and blow dry her hair, singing along to the radio. She'd usually have to hurry and grab her bag and guitar, rush out into her car to try to make it to work on time.

She was a high school music teacher. She loved her job. She got to do the one thing she enjoyed most, and help young musicians struggling to find their identity. Her job was her life, but not in a demanding controlling way.

Her sister would always convince her to date, but she just didn't want to. Not since her husband of two years had cheated on her and run off. It had left her heartbroken, and with a few abandonment issues as well. She masked it though.

She was a vibrant soul, wise beyond her years. She could always make a sad person smile. Her music was her gift, and she shared it with everyone in her life. Especially her students, who were like a family to her. Everyone loved her. It was hard not to.

She hated industry. Every time she passed a kiosk with magazines, she'd skip the trashy tabloids and threatening teen reads. She ignored the business moguls who walked the streets of New York like they had bought that particular sidewalk and wanted every one to know.

Every night once she came home from work, she would fix herself and her dog some dinner, before settling down in front of the TV for mindless television. Her life was simple, yet her past complex, keeping a hold of her at all times.

This was her life.


	3. The Happy Couple

A.N. and now we finally get to the actual story!

* * *

Tom Quincy leaned back in his chair, flipping through more boring charts and graphs that Liam Fenway had given him. He glanced at the clock, seeing that it was almost 1. Claire would be here soon.

He abandoned his work and headed out of the office to go look for his friend Kwest. Kwest was an engineer at G Major who had been trying to break into producing for awhile. Tommy found his friend in one of the many studios. He knocked and opened the door. Kwest turned around and pointed towards his watch.

"Hey, aren't you leaving in like five minutes?" Tom shrugged, leaning against the door post.

"Claire's isn't here yet. What are you up to?"

"Just mixing some beats. I was hiding from Liam. He's collecting monthly budgets today." Tom grinned and tsked his friend.

"Hiding from paperwork?" Kwest nodded. "Yeah, me too." Kwest set the pair of headphones he had been wearing down.

"You busy tonight?" Tom shook his head. "Well, I was thinking that maybe you and the soon – to – be Mrs. Quincy would like to come out with me and my girl for dinner." Tom grinned widely.

"Wow, I have yet to meet this allusive girlfriend of yours." Kwest smiled.

"Yeah, I know."

"So what does she look like?" Kwest shrugged, looking down at the soundboard.

"Blonde, gorgeous. She's a walking Barbie but she's smart." Tom nodded, eyeing Claire at the reception desk.

"Well, I can't wait. I'll tell Claire at lunch. See you later man." Kwest waved as Tommy ran out of the studio. He walked over to Claire and kissed her on the cheek.

"Hey, you're late." Claire smiled politely and shrugged.

"I was finishing up some work. Are you ready to go?" Tom nodded.

"Let me grab my jacket."

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Jude rubbed her forehead, getting a headache. Being a music teacher wasn't always easy. She glanced at the clock, seeing that the bell was due to ring at any moment. Before the students all went running to the cafeteria, Jude called one of her students up.

"Naomi? Can you come to my desk please?" A young girl of 15 walked towards her, her brown eyes wide in fear. Naomi was a sweet girl, bright too. Jude saw so much potential in her, if she could only get rid of her stage fright.

"Yes Ms. Harrison?" Jude pointed to the seat next to her.

"I just wanted to ask you how things were going." Naomi nodded slowly, less scared but still nervous.

"Things are fine. Is something wrong?" Jude smiled. She was quick. Jude pointed towards the quiz she had been grading.

"Naomi, you are by far one of my best students. You have great talent." Naomi nodded, waiting for the catch. Jude handed her the quiz.

"Is there a reason that you seem to be failing every quiz and test lately? I know that you know this theory stuff inside and outside, but since the semester began its almost as if you've stopped trying." Naomi shrugged her shoulders, looking away.

"Does it matter? I don't need this class to graduate." Jude frowned.

"I see a lot of myself in you. You have fantastic potential." Jude grabbed a brochure off her desk. She handed it to Naomi.

"It's a music school, here in New York. It only takes the most talented teens. You could easily be accepted for enrollment next year." Naomi stared at the brochure in her hands, eyeing it. Jude could see the gleam in her eyes.

Naomi finally shook her head, handing the brochure back.

"I'm sorry you have the wrong girl. I don't want to do music. I'm going to NYU and becoming a surgeon." Jude stared at her. She could sense that it wasn't what Naomi really wanted to do, but now was not the time to push it.

"Okay then. But in the meantime you will do better in my class. You still need to pass in order to graduate. NYU doesn't accept anyone with failing classes." Naomi nodded and got up, grabbing her books. She headed towards the door when Jude stopped her.

"And Naomi?" She turned towards Jude.

"If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here." Naomi nodded and left the room. Jude looked at the brochure. Something was going on with Naomi and she was going to find out what.

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Tommy glanced around the nice café he and Claire were eating at. He caught her eye and smiled warmly, taking her hand in his. Claire looked up at him, surprised.

"I just wanted to tell you how much I missed you last week when you were in Vancouver. Lunch was not the same." He laughed. Claire smiled softly. She pulled her hand back, fixing a stray hair.

"I wonder where the waiter is with our food." Tommy shrugged.

"What's the hurry in getting back to work?" He grinned. Claire smiled.

"Some of us actually like our jobs." The waiter came by to refill their drinks and inform them their food would be ready shortly.

"So I think that it's time we decided on a date." Tommy said. Claire set her glass down, surprised.

"For what?" Tommy laughed, sipping his wine.

"For our wedding!" Claire nervously played with the napkin in her lap.

"We really need to talk." He nodded, cueing her to continue.

"Tom, you know how much I love you, right?" He nodded, not sure where this was headed.

"What's going on, Claire?" The waiter came by and gave them their food. Claire busied herself with that, avoiding his question. Tom forgot about eating, he just stared at Claire.

"Claire." She looked up. Blue eyes met blue eyes. She set her napkin down.

"I'm not sure that I want to get married." Tom blinked. What?

"Why not?" Claire glanced around the café.

"I sort of met someone." Tommy's heart fell to the floor. He stared at Claire with pain filled eyes.

"Who?" Was all Tommy could squeak out.


	4. Persuade the Unpersuasive

Jude groaned, trying to block out her sister's very annoying voice. Sadie was following Jude around her house while she was picking up the loose trash that happened to be floating everywhere. She threw a couple empty Coke cans into the garbage bag in her hand.

"Please Jude? I really like this guy and it would be nice for you to meet him." Jude turned towards her sister who had been begging her to meet her boyfriend of a month.

"Sadie, as much as I would love to meet the guy that's been monopolizing all your time, I really don't feel like being a third wheel." Sadie frowned, placing a perfectly manicured hand on her hip.

"What if I promise not to go all 'couple' on you? Then will you go?" Jude thought about it for a second.

"Uh, no." She turned to go back down the hallway. Sadie followed her, upset.

"Why not?" Jude tied the bag into a knot and threw it in the corner with the rest of the stuff that needed to go out for the trash man to pick up.

"How many more times do I need to tell you?" Sadie softened up.

"Jude, its okay to be hurt after what happened. But that was almost 5 years ago. You need to move on." Jude turned away to stare out the window.

"What like Mom moved on when Dad left?" She said bitterly. It killed Jude how her beautifully smart sister could always manage to hold on to a guy until she was ready to move on, but Jude herself couldn't.

"What can I say, Mom didn't handle the situation well." Jude cupped her head in her hand.

"I just don't want to go down that road." Sadie placed a loving hand on her sister's forearm.

"You're not. I just want you to meet my boyfriend. I really think that he might be, you know, _the one._" Jude turned around and smiled.

"When you put it that way, I guess I want to meet him." Sadie clapped her hands.

"Yes! Thank you! Now if I could only get you to let me make you over." Sadie eyed Jude's untamed red hair. Jude glared at her.

"Forget about it."

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Late at night, Kwest was sitting in Tom's penthouse, enjoying a beer. Tom was not looking good. His 5 o'clock shadow was starting to show, and his neatly pressed shirt had been untucked and was wrinkled and had the slight odor of vodka on it.

"I can't believe this." Kwest looked at his friend of 10 years. He felt for him, but he didn't feel like listening to the story for the seventh hundred time.

"Man, get yourself up and take a damn shower!" Tom glared at him.

"I don't want to do anything but sit here and get shitfaced." Tom reached for the bottle of beer, but Kwest pulled it away.

"Well, you're already there, pretty much, bud. Come on, man. You're better than this! You promised no more getting completely trashed." Tom looked away.

"Kwest, the love of my life just told me she was in love with another guy. Could you maybe back off the lectures for the next five months." Kwest shook his head.

"Why, so you can get a complex? Get your ass up and take a shower. You promised to go out with me tonight." Tom shook his head furtively.

"I don't want to spend QT with you and your girlfriend." Kwest sighed.

"There will be beer." Tom looked up at him.

"Just give me a minute, okay?"


	5. Creeps and a Savior

Jude sipped her glass of beer, already wishing that she were back at home. Sadie kept glancing at the door every few minutes waiting for a sign of her boyfriend. Jude set her glass down.

"Hey Sadie, I think I'm going to go to the bathroom for a few minutes, okay?" Sadie just waved her hand, still staring at the door. Jude rolled her eyes. This guy must be some prince. Jude got up and went towards the restrooms.

Sadie stood up when she saw her boyfriend enter.

"Hey sweetie!" She leaned over and gave her boyfriend a quick kiss on the lips. She turned towards the sullen man next to him.

"Kwest, who is this?" Kwest grinned.

"Sadie, this is my good friend Tom Quincy. Tom this is my girlfriend Sadie." Tommy gave her a lazy handshake. He turned towards Kwest.

"I'm going to the bar." Kwest and Sadie sat down at the table. Sadie stared after Tommy.

"What's wrong with him?" Kwest sighed.

"His fiancée just ended things. He's not in a good place right now." Sadie frowned.

"That's so sad!" Just at that moment, Jude came back.

"Hi, you must be Kwest. I've heard a lot about you. I'm Jude, Sadie's sister." Jude and Kwest shook hands.

"It's nice to meet you Jude. So what do you do?" He asked politely.

"I'm a music teacher at a local high school. I hear that you're an engineer?" Kwest nodded.

"Yeah with G Major Records." Jude scowled. Kwest looked at Sadie who just looked down at her glass.

"You mean the G Major Record Label owned and ran by Darius Mills?" Kwest nodded.

"You work for the devil!" She spat out. Sadie gave Kwest a sympathetic look.

"I mean the only kind of music that comes out of G Major is the same stupid crap that we've heard over and over again. There is nothing ever original!"

"I meant to warn you, Kwest. My sister really hates industry people." Kwest nodded.

"Good to know." Jude shook her head.

"I'm going to the bar." Jude stomped off walking over to the bar. She slammed her bag onto the counter a little roughly.

"Can I get a tall beer?" She asked the bartender. He nodded and walked away.

"Tough night?" She turned to see a handsome young man sitting next to her.

"You could say that." The guy had shiny blonde hair and casual clothes. The bartender handed her her drink.

"Hey, let me pay for that." The guy said. Jude gave him an odd look.

"You didn't have to do that." The guy shrugged.

"I'm always ready to help out a lovely lady in need." Jude downed her glass.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say you were hitting on me." She signaled the bartender for another glass. The guy smiled. He was starting to creep her out.

"I'd say you were right." The guy placed a hand on Jude's arm. She pulled her arm away, taking a step back.

"Well, it was nice meeting you. Have a good night!" She said, turning around. The guy grabbed her hand to stop her from leaving.

"Wait, I didn't catch your name." Jude looked around helplessly. How did she manage to get into these kinds of situations?

"I believe the lady wants to be left alone." Jude turned to her savior. He was a tall and gorgeous man with dark hair and the most beautiful blue eyes.

"I think you should stay out of this, pal." The creepy guy said. He let go of Jude's arm to turn to the other guy. Jude held her wrist, rubbing it soothingly.

"This is a public place. A lady has a right to get a drink without getting hit on." The other guy said. Jude smiled.

"Why don't you mind your own business?" The creepy guys scoffed.

"Come on man. It's a bar. It's what we men do!" The other guy took a step forward.

"Back off." The creepy guy held his hands in the air.

"I'm not trying to start a fight."

"Good, then leave." The creepy guy shook his head and walked away mumbling. The other guy turned to walk away as well. Jude ran after him.

"Hey thanks for helping me out back there." The guy shrugged.

"It was no big deal." Jude shook her head.

"No, it was a big deal. Who knows what that guy would have tried if you hadn't come along!" The guy shrugged again, looking away.

"Men shouldn't treat women like that." Jude stared at her savior, quite touched.

"At least let me buy you a drink?" She offered. The two walked back over to the bar. Jude told the bartender to get them both a few shot glasses.

"So, what brings you out here?" She asked. The guy shrugged. It seemed like that's all he ever did.

"Same thing as everyone else. Troubles. You?" Jude shook her head.

"My sister wanted me to meet her boyfriend. I'm not really into to the whole third wheel thing though." The guy laughed.

"Me either." Jude held her hand out.

"Jude Harrison." The guy gently shook her hand.

"Tim." She gave him a look.

"No last name?" Tim shook his head.

"I like to be mysterious." Jude laughed.

"It suits you well." The bartender brought them their glasses.

"Bottoms up?" Jude asked. Tim grabbed a shot glass. They clinked glasses and downed the beer.

"So what really brought you out here?" Jude asked. Tim shook his head.

"I'm not sure that I'm drunk enough to answer that." He laughed. Jude smiled. She couldn't explain it, but she liked Tim, although it did seem as if he was hiding something from her. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she knew that she would find out eventually.

……………………………..

Tommy finished another glass of beer. He looked at Jude. He still couldn't figure out why he had lied about his identity. Jude didn't strike him as the type of person to really care that he was a famous producer. In fact, Jude looked more like the type to hate Tommy for his job. He watched her as she laughed. Somewhere deep inside of him, his heart was warming up to this woman.

"So what do you do?" He looked up, realizing he hadn't been paying attention to a word Jude had been saying. He had been too caught up in his thoughts. He panicked, realizing her couldn't tell her the truth.

"I… I own a store!" He spat out. Jude looked at him in surprise.

"Really? What kind of store?" He panicked again.

"It's an independent music store." He said, figuring that she probably wasn't interested in music, let alone indie music. Jude grinned.

"Wow, I might have to check out this store of yours." Tommy smiled. Oh crap. Time to change the subject off him.

"So what do you do?" Jude smiled. He enjoyed seeing her smile, although he had no idea why.

"I teach music at Carson Hill High." Tommy nodded. So she was into music. She apparently loved her job. He could tell by the way her eyes lit up talking about it. Tommy wished that he was that excited about his job.

"So do you play any instruments?" He asked. Silently, he wondered why he was talking to her. He was still very broken up about Claire, but spending time with Jude was making him forget. He started to panic again.

"Yeah, the guitar. I always joke that if I wasn't teaching music I'd probably be out doing open nights at clubs or something. Music is my life." Tommy nodded, completely understanding. He started to backpedal.

"Well, it's late. I should probably go." He grabbed his jacket. Jude stood up, ready to follow him out.

"It was nice meeting you." He said, putting his leather jacket on. He had no idea where Kwest was but he needed to leave. Jude nodded, a little confused.

"Yeah you too." Tommy gave her a quick nod before disappearing into the crowd. Tommy knew that it was harsh the way he had left her, but he was still nursing a broken heart. Besides, what were the chances he would ever see Jude again?

* * *

A.N. So Tommy and Jude finally meet, but Jude doesn't know it's Tommy! Review and tell me what you think! 


	6. A Chance Second Meeting

It was a Saturday morning and Jude was lounging in her living room, staring up through the skylight. A small grin appeared on her face. She had shared such a connection with Tim. She could sense that he was quite passionate about music, like her. There was something about him though, like he was nursing a broken heart. Jude felt for him. She knew what it was like having your heart broken.

She sighed, turning away from the skylight. He had left in such a hurry! She didn't know what to make of it, as he had seemed generally interested in her. She hadn't even gotten his number or an address, so it was doubtful she would ever see him again. The only thing that she knew about him was that he owned a record store.

The store! Jude sat up, running for her closet. She was going to look for his store and see him again!

…………………………………..

Tommy rubbed his hair anxiously. The artist he was producing was completely green and really had no outstanding talent. Of course as a producer, it was his job to turn the artist's lack of talent into something worth money.

He sighed, wishing that he had taken the day off. It was a beautiful Saturday. Not that he would actually enjoy the day. He was still very upset over Claire's abrupt dumping. He still couldn't believe that she had fallen in love with another guy! It made him angry and sad all at the same time.

Then there was Jude, the woman from the bar the previous night. The beautiful, vibrant woman that he felt something for. That feeling scared him however. It was like how he felt for Clair, and well, look at how that turned out.

He felt bad for ditching her the way he had. She had been in his dreams that night. It was something that he just couldn't fight.

He sighed heavily, knowing that the chances of seeing her again were slim to none. Tommy pressed on the intercom.

"Lauren, why don't we take a break?" The bleached blonde nodded. Tommy fought back the urge to roll his eyes.

Lauren held a crush on Tommy that he did not reciprocate. The young woman constantly threw herself at him no matter how many times Tommy denied her advances.

Lauren walked into the control room and perched herself near the soundboard.

"So what do you think?" She asked, referring to her lyrics. Tommy thought of the extremely pedestrian lyrics she had scribbled in loopy handwriting. He pointed for her to take a seat.

"Well, Lauren it's a good attempt." He started out gently. "I just don't think that these lyrics cut it." Lauren shrugged. She leaned forward exposing her chest.

"So what else did you have in mind?" Tommy backed up a couple of feet.

"I was thinking of getting you a song writer." He answered. Lauren pouted.

"But Tommy, aren't you a writer/producer?" Tommy mentally rolled his eyes.

"Yes, but I have a lot of other artists I work with other then you. I don't have time to sit out and write your whole album." Lauren nodded. She leaned forward again and teasingly playing with a necklace she was wearing.

"I heard about your break up with Claire." Tommy gulped and looked away.

"Yeah, well some things just don't work out." Lauren smiled sweetly.

"I just wanted to tell you how stupid I think Claire is, for choosing another guy over you." Tommy nodded and stood up.

"Well, thank you Lauren. Why don't we call it a day?" He left her in the control room and headed out of the studio for a lunch break.

………………………………………..

Jude walked around the streets of New York, looking for Tim's music store. It was a fruitless search. New York was huge and there were millions of independent music stores.

She gave up for the time being and went in search of a diner or café to have lunch at.

She walked inside a cute diner on the corner, across from several corporate buildings. She sat down at the counter and ordered a meal of grilled cheese and French fries.

She sipped her Coke and stared at the posters adorning the diner. It was a 50s style diner, but the posters were all famous music legends. Jude found herself caught up in the beauty of it all. A jukebox in the corner was playing a soft rock hit of the 80s. She set her drink down and walked over to the jukebox, changing the song.

"I never pictured you as a Beatles fan." Jude turned around surprised to see Tim standing behind her.

"Tim, what are you doing here?" Tim grinned pleasantly.

"Well I always eat lunch here, or at least I used to." Jude nodded.

"Wow, I didn't think that I would ever actually see you again." She gushed. She walked back over to the counter she had been sitting down at. Tim followed her and sat down, ordering a Diet Coke.

"Yeah, I'm sorry for running off on you last night." He apologized. Jude nodded, understanding.

"I figured you must have had a good reason." Tim shook his head.

"No, I'm a jerk for running out on a very nice woman." Jude laughed.

"I'm not always so nice." The waitress brought Jude her order and Tim's drink. Jude turned towards Tim.

"I know you said you owned a music store but I was curious as to where it was." Tim choked on his drink a little.

…………………………………………

Tommy fought to swallow his drink. It had been a pleasant surprise to see Jude again. He was glad to see her, especially since he had run off on her the night before.

Jude looked at him worried. Tommy caught her gaze. She had the most amazing blue eyes he had ever seen. Deep ocean blue orbs that you could get lost in.

He shook his head remembering her question. He thought quick for a cover.

"Yeah, I'm actually from New Jersey. Did I say I was from New York?" Jude shook her head.

"Yeah, a friend of mine lives here in New York. I was just visiting for the week since he wanted me to meet his girlfriend." Tommy felt bad. He had hardly known this girl for a day and he had already lied to her on multiple occasions.

"Oh, I'm sorry I must have misunderstood." Tommy nodded his head rigidly.

Jude finished her sandwich and left some money for a tip. She stood up ready to leave. At the last minute she turned towards him, obviously a little embarrassed.

"I know that you're probably a very busy person, but I was just wondering if you were doing anything today." Tommy looked at her generally surprised. He shook his head. She smiled, relieved.

"Would you like to join me on a little field trip?" She asked. Tommy grinned, feeling better then he had in a long while. He didn't know why, but Jude just did something to him. She made him feel good in general.


	7. A Fleeting Moment of Honesty

Tommy followed Jude into the school building. He glanced at the lockers lining the walls, and the flyers hanging everywhere. It was just your typical high school.

They entered a classroom. Tommy looked around in awe. It was a small music room. There were all kinds of instruments floating around in every corner. Jude walked over to a large desk in front of the room. She sat in the seat and rummaged through the desk, looking for something.

"Feel free to make yourself at home!" She called. Tommy nodded. She had posters of all different kinds of musicians hanging on her walls. He noticed that none of them were any artists that he himself had ever worked on. There were no cheesy pop acts.

He saw a grand baby piano in the corner. He smiled and walked over to it. He sat down and opened the lid. His fingers graced the keys, and a sweet melody followed. He closed his eyes, getting lost in the music.

From her desk, Jude grinned. He looked exactly like she did whenever she played her guitar.

"I didn't know you played." Tommy popped one eye open and stared at her. He grinned.

"What kind of musician would I be if I couldn't play an instrument?" Jude shrugged.

"I suppose you're right." Tommy stopped playing and turned his whole body to face the front of the room.

"So are we done here?" Jude nodded.

"Yeah, I just have to lock up." The two left the school building and went back out to the cool streets of New York.

They passed a magazine kiosk selling tabloids. Tommy panicked when he saw himself on the cover of one. Maybe it was time he told her the truth. Jude noticed and glanced at it.She sighed heavily.

"I hate tabloids. They are everything that's wrong with the music industry. The fact that an artist's whole career is spent making sure the public likes them is ridiculous. They should concentrate more on the music then image." Tommy looked at her deeply surprised. He had never met a girl quite like her.

"And I really hate industry types. Like Tom Quincy!" He winced slightly. There was no way he was coming out about his identity now.

"I hate that man just on principle." Tommy shrugged.

"Have you ever met him?" Jude furiously shook her head.

"No and I don't ever plan to do. He has to be the worse producer ever! All that music G Major sells is crap! It's all perfectly coiffed bleached blondes who wanna be Britney Spears and guys thinking that they can rap or sing smooth R&B hits. Total crap." Tommy sped up the pace, trying to lead her away from the tabloids so she wouldn't figure him out.

"I'll tell you what the music industry needs. It needs something new and original. Something that hasn't been done yet." Tommy looked at her. Her face was flushed with anger and her eyes were small and slanted. You could practically see the steam coming from her ears. To Tommy she had never looked more cute.

This was a woman who generally cared about music and wasn't willing to sell out for what was popular. And did he just think she was cute?

"I'm sure all industry people aren't bad." He coughed and looked away. Looking everywhere but at her. Jude shrugged.

"Well, my sister is dating a guy from G Major. An engineer actually, his name is Kwest Taylor." Tommy's eyes popped open. If he had been drinking he would have just spit it out. No wonder the name Harrison had sounded so familiar! Jude was Kwest's girlfriend Sadie's sister. Uh oh.

Jude shook her head.

"I'm sorry for going a little crazy on you. I'm just very passionate about what I believe." Tommy smiled at her.

"I can tell." Jude started to blush.

"Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad thing. I appreciate the honesty." Oops. Jude fixed him with a weird look. She smiled at him, ready to forget the whole conversation.

"Hey, I've got something to show you." Jude pulled him down a sharp alleyway. Tommy just shook his head and followed her. Jude was proving to be quite the interesting person. She just kept on surprising him.


	8. U Know U Got It Bad

Jude grabbed his hand and led him to a very busy street. The street was lined with tents and people. He looked around in awe.

"I take it you've never been to a street fair?" She asked from beside him. Tommy shook his head, stillin awe. Jude was really opening his eyes to a whole new world. She led him to a large tent selling old LPs. She grinned and looked around.

"I love it here. You can find only the rarest, best records ever." She immediately began digging through the nearest box. Tommy watched her in fascination.

"Come on, go ahead and look through it. Who knows, you might find something you can sell yourself!" Tommy just shook his head. He carefully began rummaging through a box close to him.

They spent the next hour laughing over old records with ridiculous styles and fawning over the classics. They were now making their way towards a tent selling French fries, Hamburgers, and Hot Dogs. Tommy couldn't stop smiling.

They both ordered a drink and decided to split a basket of fries. They sat down at a round table just outside the tent. Jude slowly sipped her Coke and glanced around at all the people shopping. Tommy caught himself staring at her.

Her red hair was blowing through the wind, whipping all around her. The sight made his heart warm up. Little by little, Jude was putting his heart back together.

"I just love watching the people that walk by here." She said. Tommy looked up surprised.

"Why's that?" She shrugged.

"I love seeing all the happy families walk by." She looked down. Tommy sensed that she was hurting herself. Just as he was about to ask, Jude looked at him and smiled.

"You wanna go to Central Park?" Surprised at her change in attitude, all Tommy could do was nod.

He let himself be led, liking the feel of her hand entwined with his. They arrived at Central Park and just walked aimlessly around, enjoying the beautiful day.

"So when do you go back home?" Jude asked him. Tommy looked up in surprise.

Right, because he had said he was visiting a friend. His lies were becoming too much. He smiled.

"I'm actually thinking about staying a little longer." Jude looked at him, surprised.

"What about your store?" Tommy shrugged, the lies coming so much easier now.

"That's the beauty of being the boss." Jude seemed to accept his answer.

"What made you decide to stay?" She asked innocently. Tommy shrugged and looked away.

"I don't think I've seen all that New York as to offer yet." He looked her straight in the eye. She blushed.

"I should probably get home." She whispered. Tommy nodded, sad to see her go. She reached into her purse and pulled out her cell phone.

"Do you mind if I ask for your number?" She asked. Tommy just shook his head and pulled out his phone as well.

They traded numbers and bid each other good bye.

Tommy watched her disappear into a crowd, before turning to head back to work.

He entered G Major in a much better place then he had left it.

He walked into studio 1 where Kwest was mixing.

"Welcome back man, you took an extremely long lunch break. I had to send Lauren home eventually since you weren't coming back." Tommy just shrugged. Kwest frowned at him.

"Where have you been this entire time?" Tommy shrugged again.

"I met the most amazing girl last night." Kwest looked at him in surprise.

"Wow, you already moving on from Claire? Man, I knew you were fast but damn!" Tommy shot him a look.

"Actually, I've been spending time with your girlfriend's sister." Kwest just stared at him, clearly surprised.

"She was really spending time with you? Last I checked,the girl hated industry types." Tommy looked away.

"Why do I recognize that look?" Kwest asked, shaking his head.

"When we met last night, I lied about who I was. I didn't know her and I really didn't want to get into my whole personal life. I didn't think I would ever see her again. But then I saw her at my favorite diner today. It was a complete surprise. She took me to her classroom, and then we went to a street fair and looked through old records. It was a blast! I can't even remember the last time I've ever just kicked back and had fun like that." Tommy trailed off, looking into space.

"I don't believe it." Kwest shook his head. Tommy looked at him, confused.

"Don't believe what?" Kwest just smiled.

"You are falling for this girl." Tommy just shook his head.

"I am not. I hardly know her. Besides, I'm still very upset about Claire."

"Well, that might be true, but you can't deny that when you're with her, your heart hurts less, and you're thinking about Claire less." Tommy didn't say anything. He didn't have to. Amazingly enough, Kwest just knew.

"You got it bad, man."


	9. First Date and Other Firsts

A.N. okay, since I haven't posted in like forever on this story here's a nice longish chapter with lot's of cute jommy moments, especially at the end. you also find out about Jude's past. please review and let me know you're still reading this!

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Jude walked into her house, a wide smile on her face. She had not expected to run into Tim again, though it was an unexpected surprise. She sank down into her couch and closed her eyes, reliving the day.

"What's on your mind, little sis?" Jude popped an eye open to see Sadie standing above her.

"How did you get in?" She asked. Sadie held up a key.

"Underneath the flower pot, very sneaky!" Jude rolled her eyes, but followed her sister into the kitchen.

"Apparently not sneaky enough. What are you doing here?" Sadie gave her sister a small smile. She walked over to Jude's fridge and poured herself a glass of iced tea.

"I'm just wondering what has got you all smiled today." Jude smirked at her.

"Like it is any of your business." Sadie shrugged and sat down at the table.

"So you most definitely met someone. So, what's his name?" Jude rolled her eyes.

"There is no one. You are way off base." Jude smiled, her mind drifting off. Sadie raised one perfectly plucked eyebrow.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure there's no one." Jude's cell rang, cutting Sadie off. Jude prayed that it wasn't the school about something work related. She really enjoyed her Saturdays.

"Hello?" She said into the phone.

"Hey Jude, it's me, Tim." Jude smiled. Sadie smirked at her so Jude turned around, to try and make the call more private.

"What's going on?" She asked him.

"Listen, I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to go out for dinner or something next weekend." Jude smiled, holding her screams of happiness.

"Yeah that sounds great."

"So I guess I'll call you later this week to get directions to your house." Jude grinned, so happy that she was going out on a date with Tim, the guy she was quickly falling for.

"Yeah, I'll see you then." She hung up and squealed.

"Oh yeah, you're not seeing anybody." Jude turned to see Sadie still sitting at the table. Her smile faded away for a second.

"Oh, did I forget to mention that I met a guy?" Sadie just gave Jude the "duh" look.

"So what's his name, where does he live, how did you meet? I need details!" Jude laughed at Sadie's eagerness to see her "back in the saddle" so to speak.

"Okay, his name is Tim, he lives in New Jersey, and I met him at the bar last night." Sadie frowned.

"So you're going out with a guy whose last name you don't know, who lives in another State, and you only met last night at a bar?" Jude frowned. She didn't expect this from her sister.

"I mean, Jude, what do you know about this guy? What does he do for a living? If he's from NJ what is he doing here in New York? These are key questions you should know before you date a guy."

"I'll have you know that Tim owns his own music store in NJ. He's in New York for awhile visiting a friend. He happens to be a good guy. I know because he saved me from a creep at the bar last night. I never thought that you would be this hostile with me when I started dating again." Sadie looked down, clearly not wanting to start an argument.

"Jude, I just want you to be careful. Your last relationship didn't end so well…" Jude looked away from her sister.

"Get out of my house." Sadie stared at Jude, shocked.

"What?" Jude pointed towards the door, fire in her eyes.

"Go!" She shouted. Sadie grabbed her stuff and scurried out of the room. She gave Jude one quick sympathetic look.

Once the door closed, Jude sunk into her couch, the tears welling up in her eyes. She had finally started moving on when Sadie just _had _to bring up her past.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was close to 7:00 the next weekend, when Tommy walked up to Jude's front door and knocked. A moment later Jude answered the door.

She looked beautiful, dressed in a pair of black pants and a green shirt. Her red hair was down and fell around her shoulders in waves. Tommy was speechless. Jude smiled, glad that she was pleasing him, visually.

"You look great." He stated. He held out his hand, waiting for her to grab it, like earlier that week at the park. Jude closed her door and followed him to his Viper. Jude's mouth dropped open.

"Wow, you must do really well for yourself if you can drive this!" She shouted. Tommy looked at his car and cringed. Oops… his pride and joy car almost exposed him. He scrabbled for a legit reason to own his car.

"Yeah, my… uncle left it for me in his will. He was a fairly wealthy guy." He smiled; glad to think of something that good on the spot. Jude just smiled.

"Wow, the only thing I ever get from a will is a vase." She chuckled to herself. Tommy opened up the passenger side door and let her slide in, closing it behind her.

Once Tommy was settled in the driver's seat, Jude turned to ask him a question.

"So this was quite the surprise, you asking me out for dinner." Tommy nodded, thinking back on his conversation with Kwest earlier that week.

_**Flashback**_

_Tommy stared at Kwest like he had a third head. _

"_What do you mean I've got it bad?" He asked. Kwest shook his head. _

"_I just meant that you clearly feel something for this girl. Why don't you ask her out?" Tommy frowned at Kwest. _

"_That would be acceptable?" Kwest laughed. _

"_Well, yeah it isn't like the 1700s where you had to ask the father first." Tommy frowned, making his reason clear. Kwest stopped laughing and grew serious. _

"_T, man… Claire met someone else, and I know that you are still hurting from that, but I think that it's okay to have dinner with someone whose company you enjoy. Don't freak out, it's not like you're getting engaged again or anything." Tommy smiled. _

"_Yeah, Kwest man, you're right. I'm going to go call her now." _

_**End flashback**_

Tommy shook his head, clearing the memory out of his mind.

"I guess I just wanted to spend some more time getting to know you." Jude smiled, accepting his answer.

Twenty minutes later they pulled into a nice restaurant on a pier over looking the river. Jude gawked as she stepped out of the car.

"Wow! How did you ever find this place?" Tommy smiled at her reaction.

"I know a guy." He joked. Jude smiled and linked her arm in his. They walked inside the restaurant. Tommy released his arm from hers.

"Stand here and I'll be right back." He stated. He didn't want Jude with him when he went to tell the hostess his name for the reservation. Then she would find out the truth, and he didn't want that… yet. Not until he knew that this was serious. He stepped up to the young woman.

"Hi, reservation for Quincy?" He asked. The hostess looked through her list and nodded. Tommy looked over to Jude who was looking at the menu over on the wall. He caught her attention and waved her over to him.

The hostess grabbed two menus and led them outside to a table that overlooked the river. Tommy pulled her chair out for her and Jude sat down in awe. The hostess handed them their menus.

"Your waiter will be with you in a moment." She said before disappearing. Jude was looking out over the river. Tommy stared at her and smiled softly. She was beautiful.

"Look, you can see the city lights." She said softly. Tommy followed her gaze and sure enough you could the outline of New York City.

"I've never noticed how beautiful the skyline is." Jude said.

"Have you always lived in New York?" Tommy questioned. Jude turned to face him.

"Yeah. Well I didn't grow up in NYC but I've always lived in the state." Tommy nodded. Jude laughed to herself. The sound made Tom's smile grow wider.

"So what about you?" She asked. Tom looked into her blue eyes.

"What about me?"

"Where did you grow up?" Jude asked. Tom looked down, trying to think of the best way to answer that question. He decided to just try the truth and hope that she didn't ask too many more questions.

"I grew up in Boston." Jude widened her eyes.

"Wow. From Boston to New Jersey, huh? Do you speak with your family much?" Tom just smiled sadly to himself.

"We don't really see eye to eye on things. Namely my career." Jude nodded. A tall sandy blonde waiter interrupted them.

"Hi, my name is Vince, can I get your drink orders?" Jude looked to Tommy. Tom sat up.

"Yes, could you bring us a bottle of your finest wine?" Jude smiled. Vince nodded and walked away.

"How can you afford all this?" Jude asked. Tom just shrugged, hoping that she would move on to another question. Jude sensed that he really didn't want to discuss money, so she switched the topic.

"I have to ask you something, and you can tell me if I'm being getting to personal. Last week when we met at the bar, you seemed so sad. What was wrong?" Jude asked him. Tommy looked away, the subject of Claire striking a pang in him. Jude realized she had pushed to far.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked." She looked down at her lap. Tom looked up and saw her nervously biting her lip. He smiled softly.

"Why are you so nervous?" He asked her. Jude looked up at him, wearily, glad that he wasn't pissed at her. Jude sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"I'm sorry. This is the first date I've been on in five years." Tom looked at her in surprise. What?

Vince reappeared with a bottle of wine and two wine glasses.

"So what would you like to eat? Any appetizers?" Tom looked away from Jude and looked up at Vince.

"Yeah, could you maybe bring us some bread? What would you like Jude?" Jude looked at the menu.

"I would like the lemon chicken with a side Caesar salad." She closed her menu and handed it to Vince.

"And for you sir?" He asked looking at Tommy.

"I would like the salmon with a side garden salad. Ranch dressing, please." He said, handing Vince his menu as well.

"You're food will be ready shortly, but I'll get your bread out for you." He said grabbing the menus. Tom nodded and turned back to Jude.

"You mind me asking why it's been so long?" Jude shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. She took in a deep breath before answering.

"I was married five years ago. My ex husband was… abusive." Tom drew in a sharp breath. Jude was on the verge of tears so Tom placed a hand on hers. She looked into his eyes and smiled weakly.

"The end of our marriage came about after I miscarried." Jude sucked in a breath. This next part was still hard for her to talk about. A tear made its way down her cheek. Tommy longed to brush it away, but he just sat there, holding her hand, waiting for her to finish.

"I was happy when I found out I was pregnant, but my husband wasn't. One night we got into a heated argument and he pushed me down the stairs." Tommy was starting to tear up, just thinking of the horrors Jude must have gone through. Jude angrily wiped away her tears.

"I have never forgiven myself for what happened that night." Tommy looked at her in pain.

"Jude, what happened was not your fault. I'm so glad that you finally divorced him." Jude laughed bitterly.

"So am I. But that doesn't stop me from thinking every night what my life would be like now if I hadn't lost that baby." Tommy silently watched Jude pull herself together. He took a deep breath and decided to tell her his story.

"That night you met me, I was attempting to get drunk." Jude looked up at Tommy, surprised that he was telling her his story.

"Earlier that day, my fiancé proceeded to tell me that while she had been on a business trip she had fallen in love with another man." Jude gasped. She placed her hand on Tommy's.

"Tim I'm so sorry that happened." Tommy glared into the night.

"If anyone should be sorry, I should be for all that you went through." Jude was silent. Vince came by and dropped off the bread.

"You're food will be ready shortly." He stated before walking off. Jude stifled a laugh. Tommy looked at her, wondering how she could laugh after all that they had shared.

"I'm sorry." She said, still trying to stop. Her laugh, however, was contagious and soon Tommy was laughing as well. He smiled.

"I haven't had this much fun in awhile." Jude smiled and squeezed his hand.

"Me either."

Later that night Tommy pulled up outside Jude's house. He turned off the engine and turned to face Jude.

"I had a great time tonight." Jude smiled.

"Yeah me too." She chuckled softly. Tommy grabbed her hand.

"What?" He whispered. Jude smiled.

"Nothing, I guess I was just thinking this night would be weird or awkward or something, but it wasn't. It was great." Tom smiled, genuinely happy that she had a great time.

"I'm glad that you had fun." Jude smiled. Tom loved seeing that smile. It made his heart beat faster after time he saw her smile. She suddenly leaned forward and pressed her lips against his, taking Tommy back by surprise. He responded quickly, raising one hand to cup her cheek. Jude moaned into his mouth. She pulled away and leaned over to whisper in his ear.

"See you soon, Tim?" She asked. Tommy rested his forehead against hers.

"Real soon." He whispered back. They shared one last lingering kiss before Jude disappeared into her house.

Tommy sat in his car a few minutes just thinking about the kiss. Kwest had been right. He was really falling for this girl.

Inside her house Jude smiled and pressed her hand against her lips that had only a moment ago been touching Tim's. Was she falling in love with him?


	10. Close Call

A.N.: I know that it has been literally forever since the last time that i updated. school started back up and since i'm a senior its been like a nonstop rollercoaster since the minute i stepped foot back into the school. on top of that, i started a new job that keeps me pretty busy... not to mention rich! haha yeah i wish... so i've finally made it to fall break and while i should really be working on my monologue due on Monday for theatre, and i should really be working on my online class, and i should REALLY be finishing my college applications, i decided i could spare a few moments to update this chapter. luckily, this was already written out, it just needed to be transfered onto my computer. i'm sorry to say that i don't know when the next update will be, but i'm hoping it won't be as long as the wait for this one. so i apologize to any faithful readers out there... you guys own my heart! anyways, here is the next chapter... i like it... its cute... i already know the direction i want to take this, but we'll see how long it takes for me to get there... again i'm so sorry (it seems i've been saying that word alot lately!) to all you readers. i would understand if you lost interest... please don't! i absolutely adore your comments/remarks! so feel free to continue on with the chapter and don't forget to review at the end, even if it is to bitch at me for waiting so long before an update... sorry...

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A few weeks later, Tommy was sitting in the recording booth with Kwest, mixing a song. He had never felt happier then he did with Jude. He grinned, just thinking about their date the night before.

Kwest turned the song off, noticing Tommy's distracted look.

"Why did you turn the song off man? We were working!" Tommy shouted, snapping back into reality. Kwest shook his head.

"I was working. I don't know where you were." Tommy smiled again, his mind drifting off onto thoughts of Jude. Kwest punched him in the arm. Tom glared at him.

"What the hell was that for?" He shouted, rubbing his arm.

"Well for one, you were drifting off again, and two, because I recognize that look. This thing with you and Jude serious?" Kwest asked. Tommy grinned.

"Yeah it's serious." Kwest nodded, and then punched him again. Tommy winced from the pain. He glared at Kwest.

"What the hell?" Kwest glared back at him.

"If you really love Jude, why don't you try telling her the damn truth!" Tommy stared down at his hands. He knew Kwest was right, he was just so scared that if he told her, Jude wouldn't want to see him anymore.

"I want to. It's just that…" He trailed off.

"Well, here's your chance." Confused, Tommy followed Kwest's gaze out the window and onto Jude who was standing in the lobby with Sadie.

"Oh shit." Kwest chuckled at him.

"What's your plan now, Einstein?" Tommy groaned. This was not happening.

"Okay, Kwest man, why don't you go distract them while I'll slip out, unnoticed." Kwest shook his head.

"The things I do for friends." Tommy watched as Kwest walked out into the lobby and received a kiss from Sadie. The three shared some pleasantries and Kwest led them over to hospitality. Taking the moment, Tommy headed for the front doors.

Jude waited patiently while Kwest and Sadie said hello.

"So what brings you two by?" Kwest asked. Jude shrugged.

"Sadie swung by the school and picked me up for lunch. She wanted to stop and say hello." Kwest nodded and wrapped an arm around Sadie.

"Why don't I show you guys to hospitality? I'm sure there's something to eat in there." Sadie eagerly followed, whereas Jude hung back a bit.

"I'm actually going to step outside." Sadie nodded and pulled on Kwest's arm to get his attention.

Jude turned back the way they came and walked out the door. She breathed in the fresh air and walked over to a kiosk selling hotdogs. She stepped up to the guy selling the hot dogs and ordered one. She turned around to head back towards the studio when she saw a very familiar body.

"Tim?" She asked, quite surprised to see her boyfriend. She smiled and walked over to kiss him hello.

Tommy eagerly accepted her kiss. That had been a close call.

"Hey." He smiled at her and pushed back a stray hair that had fallen in front of her face.

"What are you doing here?" Jude asked. Tommy grinned.

"Getting lunch." Jude held up her hot dog.

"Me too." Tommy wrapped an arm around her waist. The couple walked down the sidewalk.

"Hey, how about I take you for dinner tonight?" Tommy suggested. Jude shook her head.

"No?" He asked, not understanding and a little hurt. Jude smiled softly at his injured look.

"No, I wanna cook for you tonight." Tommy's face lit up at the prospect.

"Okay, it's a date." They arrived back in front of G Major. Jude leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.

"Be at my house by 7." They kissed again before Jude walked back inside G Major. Tommy sighed in relief.

"Lunch time!"


End file.
